Doug Fister placed on DL, Brayan Villarreal recalled

The Tigers may be 2-0 in the standings, but they were hit with their first big loss of the season when Doug Fister left the mound early in Saturday's game against the Red Sox. He was first diagnosed with a strain in his side. The Tigers have just announced that Fister has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a "left costochondral strain." In plain english, that means there is pain somewhere around his ribs.

Rob, our resident "guy studying this kind of thing in graduate school" explains:

He strained the cartilage connecting the rib bone to the sternum. Depending on the area, (it) can be quite painful with movement and exertion. Rest is basically the only way to treat it.

The Tigers recalled right-handed reliever Brayan Villarreal from Triple-A Toledo. Villarreal made one appearance with the Mud Hens, throwing two scoreless innings while allowing one hit.

One would assume left-hander Duane Below (of Britton, Mich.), who got the win today, has been promoted to the rotation spot, with Villarreal taking over his spot in the bullpen.

In sorta-related news, left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly threw today for the Mud Hens. He didn't exactly do well -- didn't even make it through two innings while allowing three runs, actually -- but he will be making his debut in about five days.

I'm sure the Tigers will make some announcements about such things soon, and we'll update you then.